AutoPentestX generates professional, comprehensive PDF reports using ReportLab. This guide explains each section of the report and how to use the findings effectively.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/Gowtham-Darkseid/AutoPentestX/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Report Generation
Reports are automatically generated in Phase 7 of every scan:Terminal Output
Report Location
Reports are stored in thereports/ directory with timestamped filenames:
Opening Reports
Report Sections
1. Cover Page
The first page contains:PENETRATION TESTING REPORT (large, centered heading)
- Target System (IP or domain)
- Scan ID (database reference)
- Report Date and Time
CONFIDENTIAL notice in red text warning about sensitive information
- Prepared by: (your name from
-nflag) - Tool: AutoPentestX v1.0
- Framework: Automated Penetration Testing Toolkit
2. Executive Summary
Provides a high-level overview for non-technical stakeholders.Key Metrics
Example Summary
Risk Level Indicators
- CRITICAL
- HIGH
- MEDIUM
- LOW
🔴 Red Text - Immediate Action RequiredCharacteristics:
- Publicly exploitable vulnerabilities
- SQL injection vulnerabilities
- Default credentials accepted
- Known backdoors detected
3. Scan Details
Technical information about the scan execution:4. Open Ports and Services
Complete inventory of discovered network services:| Port | Protocol | State | Service | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | tcp | open | ftp | vsftpd 2.3.4 |
| 22 | tcp | open | ssh | OpenSSH 8.2p1 Ubuntu |
| 80 | tcp | open | http | Apache httpd 2.4.41 |
| 443 | tcp | open | ssl/http | nginx 1.18.0 |
| 3306 | tcp | open | mysql | MySQL 5.7.33 |
| 8080 | tcp | open | http-proxy | Jetty 9.4.31 |
The report displays up to 20 ports. View all ports in the database:
5. Vulnerabilities Identified
Detailed table of all discovered vulnerabilities:| Port | Vulnerability | Severity | CVE ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Vulnerable FTP Service | HIGH | N/A |
| 22 | Outdated SSH Version | MEDIUM | CVE-2020-15778 |
| 80 | Missing X-Frame-Options header | MEDIUM | N/A |
| 80 | SQL Injection - parameter ‘id’ | HIGH | N/A |
| 443 | Weak SSL cipher suites | MEDIUM | N/A |
| 3306 | MySQL exposed to internet | HIGH | N/A |
Vulnerability Categories
Service Vulnerabilities
Service Vulnerabilities
Found during port scanning and version detection:
- Outdated service versions
- Vulnerable software with known CVEs
- Misconfigured services
- Services with default configurations
Web Vulnerabilities
Web Vulnerabilities
Found by Nikto web scanner:
- Missing security headers
- Directory listing enabled
- Exposed administrative pages
- Default files present
- XSS indicators
--skip-web used)SQL Injection
SQL Injection
Found by SQLMap:
- Vulnerable GET parameters
- Vulnerable POST parameters
- Cookie-based injection
- Header injection
--skip-web used)Severity: ALWAYS HIGHCVE-Based Findings
CVE-Based Findings
Matched from CVE intelligence database:
- Known vulnerabilities for detected services
- CVSS scores
- Exploitability information
- Patch availability
The report displays up to 25 vulnerabilities. View all in the database:
6. Risk Assessment
Advanced risk scoring and analysis:Risk Calculation
The risk engine (frommodules/risk_engine.py) calculates scores based on:
- Vulnerability Severity: CRITICAL=10, HIGH=7, MEDIUM=5, LOW=3
- Exploitability: Known exploit (+2), CVE with CVSS 7+ (+1.5)
- Service Exposure: Internet-facing (+1), Authentication required (-0.5)
- Number of Issues: Multiple issues on same port compound risk
- CRITICAL: Total risk score > 70 OR any SQL injection
- HIGH: Total risk score > 50 OR 3+ high-severity issues
- MEDIUM: Total risk score > 30 OR 5+ medium-severity issues
- LOW: Total risk score > 10
- MINIMAL: Total risk score ≤ 10
7. Exploitation Assessment
Details about matched exploits and simulation results:8. Security Recommendations
Prioritized remediation actions:Recommendation Categories
Patch Management
Update outdated software to latest stable versions
Configuration Hardening
Fix misconfigurations and disable unnecessary features
Access Control
Implement proper authentication and authorization
Network Security
Use firewalls, VPNs, and network segmentation
9. Conclusion
Final summary and next steps:10. Disclaimer
Legal disclaimer and usage terms:Customizing Report Content
Add Your Name
Use the-n or --tester-name flag:
- Cover page: “Prepared by” field
- Page headers (if enabled)
- Report metadata
Report Variations by Flags
- Full Scan (Default)
- Skip Web (--skip-web)
- Skip Exploit (--skip-exploit)
- Minimal (Both Flags)
- ✅ All sections
- ✅ Port and service inventory
- ✅ Web vulnerabilities (Nikto)
- ✅ SQL injection findings (SQLMap)
- ✅ CVE intelligence
- ✅ Exploitation assessment
- ✅ Metasploit RC scripts referenced
Using Report Data
Share with Stakeholders
Create Executive Presentation
Extract key metrics for slides:Track Remediation Progress
Create a tracking spreadsheet from report findings:- Extract vulnerabilities from database
- Add columns: Status, Assigned To, Due Date, Resolution Notes
- Re-scan after remediation to verify fixes
- Generate comparison report
Report File Management
Organize Reports
Report Retention Policy
Recommended retention:Keep for 1 year - Current and recent scans for comparison
Keep for 3-7 years - Compliance and audit trail
Keep permanently - Proof of security improvements
Troubleshooting Report Issues
Report Generation Failed
Report Generation Failed
Error:Solution:
Missing Vulnerability Data
Missing Vulnerability Data
Symptom: Report shows 0 vulnerabilities but ports were found.Possible Causes:
- Used
--skip-webflag (web vulnerabilities won’t appear) - No CVEs found for detected services (expected for up-to-date systems)
- Scan was interrupted before vulnerability phase
Report File Corrupted
Report File Corrupted
Symptom: PDF won’t open or displays errors.Solution:
Re-run the report generation from database:Currently, you must re-run the full scan.
Report Too Large
Report Too Large
Symptom: Report file is several MB in size.Cause: Very large number of findings (50+ vulnerabilities).Note: Report limits tables to 20-25 entries. Full data is in the database.View all findings:
Next Steps
CLI Reference
Complete command-line flag documentation
Database Schema
Query and analyze raw scan data